The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
To facilitate satellite broadcast service for a residential subscriber, a satellite service provider installs one or more “satellite dish” antennas at the subscriber's residence. The satellite dish is positioned to provide an unobstructed line-of-sight (LOS) with the satellite service provider's satellite(s) for signal reception. For rural single-family residences, the satellite dish will commonly be placed on the roof, attached to an exterior wall with appropriate (e.g., southern) exposure, or mounted on a pole in the yard, as long as line of sight with the satellite is not obstructed by trees, mountains or other structures.
For potential subscribers in more urban, higher-density housing environments, such as “multi-dwelling units” (MDU) in which individual housing units for residents or tenants are contained within one building or several buildings within one complex (e.g., apartments, condominiums, office suites, commercial and hotels), the provision of individual satellite dishes to each subscriber may be impractical or even prohibited. Not all residents of multi-dwelling units have an exterior wall or balcony with appropriate exposure, and those that do may be blocked by adjacent structures. Additionally, building codes and community rules (e.g., condominium association rules) may restrict the use of satellite dishes.
To address these issues, satellite service providers may install local content distribution systems within hotels and large multi-dwelling units to service multiple units/subscribers from a single satellite dish resource. Such systems include rack mounted components, servers and the like, and require the owner/landlord of the multi-dwelling unit to provide the supporting wiring and power resources. A power feed is typically wired directly to the content distribution components within the multi-dwelling unit. Because an electrical contractor must visit the site as well as provide a lock box for the components and power supply, many owners/landlords of smaller multi-dwelling units may be hesitant to provide for and fund such services.